Published in the Delaware Daily Times, by John Kopp

September 5, 2014

Gov. Tom Corbett spent Friday afternoon making two campaign stops in Delaware County, hosting a meet-and-greet at VFW Post 928 and visiting senior citizens at Maris Grove Senior Living Facility.

Corbett met with about 40 veterans at VFW Post 928 in Ridley Township, where he explained how his experience in the Pennsylvania National Guard prepared him to make difficult decisions in Harrisburg. He then stopped by Maris Grove in Concord, telling about 75 seniors that his policies are preparing a better future for their grandchildren, including his own grandson, Liam.

He also stressed fiscal discipline, pension reform and his education agenda at both campaign events. He touted declining unemployment figures, a booming natural gas industry and the passage of four state budgets without tax increases.

“I’ve kept my promise,” Corbett told the seniors at Maris Grove. “My promise was to bring fiscal discipline, limited government and turn to the free enterprise system.”

Corbett, a Republican, is running against Democrat Tom Wolf, a York businessman who leads Corbett by double-digits in most polls. Wolf has accused Corbett of underfunding public schools while refusing to tax natural gas drillers.

Corbett spent a chunk of time at each event explaining his education policies, again noting that the $1 billion education cuts in 2011 resulted from expired federal funding that he could not control. His staffers distributed placards showing state funding for education has risen to record levels under Corbett.

“When we inherited (the budget), that money was gone,” Corbett said.

Democrats and many education professionals have blasted Corbett regarding the cuts for years, claiming they particularly harmed poor school districts and forced school boards to increase property taxes. They also argue the cuts could have been mitigated by instituting an extraction tax on natural gas drillers.

The Wolf campaign reiterated that criticism Friday.

“Over the last four years, Gov. Corbett has decimated our schools and his failed policies have tanked the state’s economy,” Wolf spokesman Jeffrey Sheridan wrote in an email. “Gov. Corbett cut $1 billion dollars from education, which has led to property tax increases, 27,000 layoffs, and larger class sizes.

“Tom Wolf will finally make oil and gas companies pay their fair share, so we can help fund our schools for a change. It’s clear that Pennsylvanians are ready for a fresh start and Tom Wolf has a vision to invest in education, rebuild our economy, and get Pennsylvania moving again.”

Asked whether he failed to initially control the narrative on the education cuts, Corbett pointed to the money spent by his detractors.

“We’ve had the opposition — all four of the Democrats that were running in the primary — saying that we cut education,” Corbett said after the VFW event. “They spent $30 million between them all. You’ve had the teachers union spend millions of dollars saying that — and it’s a lie.

“Maybe we should have spent a couple million dollars in the beginning of my tenure, but we didn’t. I just have to get the message out there. Newspapers are now starting to put it out there.”

With the election about two months away, Corbett urged both the veterans and the seniors to help get his message out. He spent much of the summer calling for pension reform, saying ballooning pension obligations are hampering the state budget and forcing school districts to increase property taxes.

“We have a train coming right at us — and it’s called the pension system,” Corbett said. “We have to fix it.”

Corbett has made regular visits to Delaware County since his re-election efforts gained steam last winter. The county is one of just four he failed to win in 2010.

“Every county is an important county, particularly if you’re a Republican in Pennsylvania,” Corbett said. “That’s one of the reasons when we’re down this way, we try to get to as many counties as we possibly can.”

Polls continue to show Wolf in the lead. A Harper poll released Thursday showed Wolf leading Corbett by 11 percentage points. That was closer than a poll by Franklin and Marshall College, released last week, that had Corbett trailing by 25 points.

“There’s only one poll,” Corbett said, referring to the general election. “We feel very confident that as our message gets out, obviously, these other polls out there are going to get closer. We need to have a win on Nov. 4 and we will.”

(John Kopp, "Gov. Tom Corbett makes 2 campaign stops in Delco," Delaware Daily Times, 9/5/14)